Yukari took a deep breath before entering the library. Just her luck. There were several people inside. She started walking towards the librarian’s desk but swerved towards a bookshelf. She looked behind her and saw IA, who waved at her.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEgf7Gzp1zW
Oh god, she waved at her.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhA4z91ZoLo
Yukari just started nodding with the exaggeration of a bobblehead. After almost half a minute of this, she turned her head and focused on the bookshelf. 725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZD4IoBHcnA
She wasn’t looking for any book in particular, but she needed to do something to stop herself from staring at the librarian. The more she stared, the more the memory of the previous week’s fantasy would be able to crawl into her brain.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT4xruk9sXT
After a minute of staring into space, she realised she was in the mathematics section. She scrunched up her nose. If anyone were to say that being good at something makes you like it, she would throw these hefty books at them. 725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ98Q2oBTE0H
She looked down at the book in her hand and remembered the main character’s struggle to talk to the ghostlike woman.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvnx2efi8dk
She turned around and lurched towards IA, debating whether to walk like she usually did or in a casual, breezy way.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡovffSqkxCp
IA smirked at her. “Do you like maths?”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe7KkRnxHQW
Yukari snorted like a horse. “Of course. I love me some numbers. Trig is seriously underrated. Yeah.”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIhB7aX87xX
IA chuckled. “Calm down.”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR2pCA3incp
Yukari held her head. IA eyed the book in her hand and reached for it. Yukari bit back a gasp when cold fingers brushed against her hand.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXo0RZUC5zz
“Did you like it?” IA asked. Yukari, still looking down, nodded. “Who was your favourite character?”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtJ6k2uYS8P
“Why make me choose?” Yukari replied. “Tsukino Shion is a really relatable main character, but Kanbara Sora is a lot like… hey, how did you know my name? My name’s a lot like Shion’s.”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAGB5Yq2lvF
“It is?”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnxhhcttbYM
Yukari stepped back. She squinted her eyes at IA, who had her head tilted like a dog again.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvN9Xy1EhPq
“I’m Yuzuki Yukari. You… didn’t know?”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡegLXlBDSzf
IA stood up and bowed. “I’m sorry for not asking for your name earlier. I keep getting…distracted whenever we talk.”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi8c0X27uSC
I keep getting distracted whenever we talk.
I keep getting distracted.
Distracted.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZf383Bd5cR
725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡomE3zmmpI9
Yukari felt like something exploded in her head, sending a blast of heat that reached from her neck up to her ears.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqFlBrXvF0j
She coughed. “So, uh, books. Gotta love ‘em. And music… music’s pretty… dope. It’s like oxygen. Everyone needs it in their lives.”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpWSGvhJu68
She mentally kicked herself.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDwlWDgJjal
IA sat back down and typed into the computer. “Are there any good books here?” She covered her mouth. “Forget I said that,” she said with her hand still on her mouth. She took it off and sighed. “Yuka… Miss Yuzuki, do you like jazz music?”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzRL9zLJvGb
“I haven’t really listened to it. Why?”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqo1TB8yfXc
“Well, you mentioned music and I remembered this lesbian romance novel about a spoiled pop star who meets a struggling jazz musician. The descriptions of the songs are really good. It’s like you can actually hear them, even though they’re just words on paper. Would you be able to come to my place again to pick it up?”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3WxzNr4nag
IA’s eyes widened in realisation. “Oh, is it okay to recommend you new books? You’re probably sick of reading lesbian romance novels since you’ve got a boyfriend.”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUSIkNh3Cu
Yukari bit her lip. “What’s my boyfriend got to do with it?”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3VoMqyiaSN
IA scratched the back of her ear and looked away, frowning. “Never mind.”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Jb8qZeo3T
“I’m fine with reading that sort of stuff. Recommend away.”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqW1agKbeGS
IA beamed at Yukari, who, under her powerful gaze, started fidgeting with the hem of her skirt.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqxCH9LoRKA
Yukari asked, “Do you like jazz?”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCFzs9sXWhi
“I didn’t care much about it at first, but after reading the book, I started getting really interested in it. Isn’t it amazing how books can do that? It’s like every book is a new interest or hobby waiting to be discovered.”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzMrkjwEtEG
The sky turned indigo and IA locked up the library, once again taking Yukari to her car. 725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH6c3nF9H4P
At the apartment, IA handed her a book with two women holding hands, one kissing the cheek of the other. In one woman’s remaining hand was a microphone and for the other woman it was a trumpet.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL8fsv6vuyS
IA turned on a CD player in the room. The notes of a trombone and double bass filled the room.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡovCh9LAevn
“Do you have anywhere to be? Would you like to read here for a bit?”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiXCp8u9Nrw
“What are you going to do?”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNfm392Mlh9
IA picked a book from one of the piles called ‘Club Majesty’. “This will do for me.”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡztvvNaWLIF
Yukari sat on the one couch in the apartment, taking off a pile of books that rested on it. IA slumped into the couch, opening her own book while existing in the grey area between sitting and lying down.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5If5YLXAgr
The language of the romance novel in Yukari’s hands was a bit more intricate than the previous novel IA gave Yukari but it wasn’t too difficult to read.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc1DLCQeZlr
The jazz music in the background lulled Yukari into a trancelike state as she let the story envelop her. She felt like she was sleep-reading and yet she was able to take in the story as if she had the concentration of a lawyer looking for holes in a witness’ story.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz4Oy2h0Sut
She was eventually broken out of her trance when IA rolled onto her back and raised her legs up against the couch’s back. IA bit her lip and stared at the book like it was written all in the most difficult of kanji characters. Yukari had to force herself to breathe, something she forgot to do as she watched her. She blushed as she stared at her lips.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy9xWKXc6KG
She chuckled as she looked at the page IA was on. “I thought a librarian would be able to read the furigana.” She almost pointed out that furigana was usually in books for kids but didn’t want to get kicked out of the apartment.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqtG2T0iva0
IA said nothing, turning the page. It took her only half a minute before she turned the page again. 725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKGvJNVWwgQ
Yukari took a closer look at the new page before IA once again turned it. It was a bizarre chase scene involving a car chasing a pig with a sack full of cash on its back. It was-725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3XAcE7e0cl
IA turned the page. “Hey, it was just getting good,” Yukari blurted out. She held her head down. “Um… sorry.”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHqCpO1OsGq
IA turned her head and lightly poked Yukari’s forehead. “Silly girl. No need to apologise. Maybe you can borrow this one from me next time.”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXrcQONcOlI
Yukari smiled. She took a few moments to gain the courage to poke IA’s foot.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDQhF4HJqhY
IA kicked the air, cackling like a middle-aged woman after one too many glasses of Syrah. 725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeTXlMyrDlQ
She dropped her book and pounced on Yukari, tickling the underarms. This developed into a bonafide tickle match.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU3BSNzbbwP
Yukari laughed so hard she snorted, which caused both women to laugh even harder. After they stopped, they stared at each other silently. IA leaned in closer.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRrO1GtqqkT
Yukari felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. A mysterious shiver swam down her body and her cheeks were as hot as newly toasted bread. She breathed in and out slowly.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1jOdO7x1f2
IA’s eyes grew before she shut them and backed away.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlUwik6tgOV
“Um, sorry, I… uh… you should go back to… whatshisname… your boyfriend.”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbivUcxs046
Yukari stood up and bowed. She grabbed her book and gave IA one last small smile before leaving the apartment.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzBZgKXQVrD
She went straight home instead of Roro’s place. There was no way she was going to read a book with that kind of cover in front of him.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0GWXZmcF2H
Her phone buzzed and she frowned when she saw the message.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0LG0MA3B6z
How’re you doing, beautiful? Wanna hang out?- Roro row your boat725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpqYNlE4tdr
She didn’t reply. Her fingers tingled, yearning to tell him about everything, but she put her phone back in her pocket to prevent herself from oversharing. This was her battle to fight.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5UTXEtXlOM
She read the book she was lended on her bed, hiding it under the covers whenever she heard her parent’s footsteps close in on her. Her parents never opened the door.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqLsBczAn5B
The book was a lot longer than the previous one so she stayed up until 3 A.M finishing it. When she finally finished it, she started pulling at the roots of her hair.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUXsIE7CiVN
She hadn’t done any homework.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfqIkjanQx2
She managed to complete her homework after a few hours and went to school with bags under her eyes. Her hands shook whenever she used them and she jumped out of her skin when Roro put a hand on her shoulder.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr5ttUQAmBk
“Are you okay?”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwqaUgvcOaD
Yukari nodded and looked away from him.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHSzOKVSTFK
Life began to form a pattern. Go to school tired, avoid Roro’s queries, return IA’s book to her, go to her place to find a new one, read it until the early hours of the morning and for god’s sake don’t let your parents know, do homework, get two hours of sleep at best, repeat the cycle. This happened for a good three weeks.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKOaxkGD46a
Each time Roro kissed her during lunchtime, Yukari felt the magic a little less. She started reminiscing over the days when the two of them were friends.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3owa81DeSH
Yukari began to notice a few things about IA. Her apartment had an unplugged microphone and a keyboard. Her fridge was covered with sketches of monsters with crowns on them, ranging from medusa to demons and all from the same artist. The magnets that held them up were souvenirs from Greece. She had a to-do list with the most basic of functions such as ‘brush your teeth, you dingus’ and ‘if you don’t eat breakfast, you will starve to death before you get to meet a cute girl’. In the latter one, a line went through the words ‘before you get to meet a cute girl’. Yukari felt as if she had been split in half, one side uplifted and the other brought down to the depths of wherever the demon in that drawing came from.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSxooPv7UOi
After those three weeks, Roro took her aside after class and brought her to the empty music room.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd8d6ItLJuU
He coughed an ‘ahem’. “Now that I have your attention, I want to ask you something. What the hell is going on with you?”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Cdsv9OIK1
Yukari looked at the door behind her and stepped backwards but Roro grabbed her arm. His grip was gentle. 725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVDvZdrSRJk
“Please… whatever’s going on, please let me know. Did I do something wrong?” Yukari gulped, saying nothing. “Please, just talk to me.” 725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Rg6GPYXGH
Yukari rubbed her eyes with her forearm. “I’m sorry. It’s not your fault.”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjkUzspZzqA
“Then is there anything I can do to help you? You’re not yourself anymore.” He said that last sentence with the face of a rabbit seeing a buzzard and his voice was hoarse, as if it was a struggle to say anything.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU7Fct0w4rs
Yukari took her arm away from her face and allowed tears to just fall down freely.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWM7v6hTvbN
“It’s something I have to figure out on my own.”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNckwYbQ7UD
“But I can-”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI78nR17apB
“Not when the problem’s got to do with you!”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvptR1hwSkh
“But you just said it’s not my-”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFeNJuCN37k
“It’s my fault. If only I wasn’t so selfish.”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHv3vV3R6Rk
“What’s going on with y-”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqpUCYmfDp6
“I like someone else!” 725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8XbNCEGE0y
Roro let go of her and stepped backwards, his hands quivering. Yukari sat on the piano chair and held her head in her hands. Her body shook as she cried. Roro sat next to her, trying to ignore the discomfort of sitting on the corner. He held his hand in the air for a while before placing in on her head and stroking her hair.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwwBt5oZqX4
“Who’s the lucky guy? Is he in our class?” His voice was slow and ponderous, as if he was trying to hold in his own tears.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcNwY1I9RCc
“It’s… a girl. You know the new librarian?”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ69z3HR8t0O
Roro took his hand off her hair, recoiling from shock.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡijnwChtLwW
“Wait, so did you… I don’t know… pretend to like me so you don’t have to admit you like girls or something?”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9fxgQq4wwU
Yukari shook her head, still looking down. “I liked you. Liked. Past tense. I’m…” She took a deep breath. “...bisexual. I’m really sorry. I should still like you, but… this girl’s just taken over my emotions and… I feel like there’s no room in me for any romantic feelings for anyone else.” She kept repeating the word ‘sorry’ in between sobs.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡACmW4HbwK0
Roro was silent for a while. He stood up and wiped his tears away, looking down at the ground and silently wishing the floor would collapse and take him with it.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNDkTSerB24
“I… never pegged you for one of those girls. It doesn’t seem like the type of thing you’d be into.”725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmW3g3B7Q8p
Yukari looked up and saw Roro silently leaving the room.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ07EhTG1KK5
He didn’t talk to her for the rest of the day. When she returned another book to IA and they headed to her apartment, she burst into tears in her car.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPPQJwsOSJ1
She told her about the breakup but didn’t explain the reason for it. IA stopped the car in a parking lane and reached over to hug her, stroking her hair much like Roro did, though this time Yukari actually noticed it and felt her cheeks heat up.725Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ240feHTVZn
The two stayed there for a few moments, the only sounds being their breaths. It was just her and the ghostlike librarian who seemed more real with each passing day.
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